The King, The Queen, The Heart and The Sword
by LaBelleAnne
Summary: Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII's love had turned into hate. But can this be turned? Could Anne and Henry, through their love, change the Queen's dreaded fate? Or is it too late, even for them? Anne/Henry
1. Chapter 1

_As you all know, this is my first FanFic, so I hope that you all can enjoy my story. Just to alert people that this __**is**__ a long chapter-y story, so please keep tuned in the months ahead. Also, please, please, please __**review/favourite**__- __**it means so much to me! **_

Anne Boleyn paced nervously around her chambers, worried thoughts going through her head. She was thinking so hard, that she had little consciousness of the world around her, only as much to be able to walk with a raised heart beat through her chambers without bumping into anything. And yet, despite all of that, her eyes somehow found the means to distract her attention to the window overlooking the courtyard. However it was not the beautiful bloom of the trees outside that had so magically managed to capture Anne's attention. No, it took something more than a pretty plant to manage to distract the Queen of England from her troubles. Frozen dead in her step, she walked over to peer out of the rusty-framed window. Outside, His Majesty the King was enjoying a perfectly wonderful stroll on a fine summer day. There might have been a time, perhaps, where all of Anne's attentions would be focused on the King's fine physique. But this day, all she was looking at was the bleak, frail woman by the name of Jane Seymour, walking hand in hand with the King, laughing at everything he laughed at, agreeing with everything he said. And although Jane, looking like the innocent dove in a frock of pale green velvet, was so perfect in the eyes of the court, to Anne, the Queen of England, she was something else…

Jane Seymour was a harlot! Anne's eyes which were filled with the deep sorrow of her heart suddenly burned with anger. "I should have expected this!" she thought, and she was right, since Henry and Jane made no secret of their courtship, even in the presence of the Queen. She had seen all the stares passed by her husband to Jane, she had known what he was up to every night he refused to share her bed, and she had seen the way people looked at her, as if they were sorry, sorry for her, and for what was happening to her marriage. Now that she thought about it, she recognized that the way people looked at her was the same way as they looked at _Katherine! Never_ was Anne yet so furious! She knew exactly what was happening, and that there was nothing she could do about it.

Forcing herself, she looked once again to the scene outside the window. _Her husband_ was kissing Jane! No longer was all of her anger focused on the bleak woman, but on Henry. Was he not supposed to be faithful to her? Were these not the words that had come from his mouth the day they were wed? But now, their so called 'love' had turned to hate, at least on Henry's side anyway. That was the moment when Anne Boleyn realised that she loved him. Even if he hated her with all his existence, she loved him with a fire that could not be put out, and it broke her heart to see him love others!

Feeling a burning in her chest, Anne staggered away from the window, struggling for air, looking for anything to lean on. She found comfort in her mirror frame, yet somehow she did not dare to look up at her reflection, perhaps frightened of whom she might see. Taking her eyes from the floor, she peered up at the shiny surface of her mirror. She saw nothing of her old self, nothing of the fire, of the passion that she once had. And now she saw. She had been blind, but now she could see…

Anne gazed with a passion ignited in her eyes into her reflection. Henry did not love her. Although it pained her so to realise that, she knew it was the truth. Tears spilled down her cheeks, yet she kept on going, telling herself one painful fact after the other, knowing the sooner she faced reality, the better. She loved Henry. The people did not have any love for her. She had neglected Elizabeth. She would lose her position if she couldn't get her husband to love her again. She did a big wrong to Katherine. At the end of it all, Anne was left motionless, weeping on the floor in front of her mirror. Slowly, she wiped the moisture off her cheeks, raised herself up, held her head tall, and told herself, "I am Anne, Queen of England. I do _not _get threatened by silly little girls like Jane Seymour. I _will_ get my husband to bear love for me again, and deliver him a son, but before I do that, I will make sure I get the revenge and respect from him that I deserve. I am his _wife, _and he will not cast me off for the company of others! In the meantime, I shall right that which is wrong, pay attention to that which has been neglected, and bring back the fire and passion that my soul has been robbed of by the King!"

Yes, Anne Boleyn had made a plan. Little did she know that the painful minutes she had spent in front of her mirror would be her book of revelations, and would change the course of her fate forever.

_Thanks guys for reading this first chapter, I hope with all my heart that you enjoyed it! Don't worry, there will be more action in the next one! Please __**review and favourite**__, and keep posted to my profile for all the updates to my story!_

_Ps: I would be immensely grateful if you guys would review, it's the thing that keeps me going!_


	2. Chapter 2

_So before I get started on the story, I would like to thank all my reviewers and followers- your reviews were a pure joy to read and your tips were greatly appreciated! _

_I must say that when I published the first chapter of this story, I never thought so many people around the world would see it! But when I looked at the traffic graph of my story's views, my heart almost burst with happiness to find that people from far away countries like Japan, Argentina, France and Italy (to name just a few) read my story! So the biggest thanks to my readers- I hope this chapter will not disappoint you!_

_Also, if you are reading this story please __**review and favourite**__ – it means so much- especially the reviews, so again, a big thank you to all the people who reviewed last time- your tips all gave me plenty of ideas for the chapters ahead, and your compliments the strength to continue writing- so remember to__** review**__ this chapter!_

_Okay, I know this author's note is such a big drabble, but there are just so many people I wish to thank for such a warm welcome into FanFiction- you cannot imagine my excitement when I woke up to new reviews! _

_Updates and spoilers on my story will be posted on my profile- so don't forget to check it out!_

Anne Boleyn was acting strange- there was no doubt about that. Perhaps the slight changes were not noticed by the court- whether it was the switch in her dress colour from the dull black she had favoured, to the deep, blood red colour her dresses used to be in her youth, or the old passion of taking to the dance floor igniting in her heart once more- no one knew if they were just assuming things, or if their thoughts were shared by others- for no one dared to ask.

Her husband, as disinterested in his wife as he was, definitely noticed the Queen's unusual behaviour. No matter how much time he spent with Jane at a feast, the slight change in his wife usually captivated and held his attentions for the whole night. He began to wonder why Anne began to change, why the horse he had broken and tamed was once again returning to the wild. As much as he tried to deny it, the whole court could see his frustration as the upper hand in his marriage slowly began to slip from his grip. Perhaps, the king who could keep control of England, Scotland, France and the English church, was slowly losing the control of his own marriage…

No! No way would Henry VIII, King of England, Scotland and France be outsmarted by his wife, or, at least, whatever was left of her after all his liaisons. He would not let a woman, whose only job was to conceive and carry a son, beat him at his own game! The time for her meddling was over!

"Boy!" he called to his servant.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"Head over to the Queen's chambers at once and inform her and her ladies that she will be dining privately with me tonight. Tell the court that the King and Queen regret having to leave them this evening, and that they trust that they can keep themselves entertained. Furthermore, give this gift to the Lady Jane Seymour, with my regrets of abandoning her company tonight."

"Of course, your Majesty."

"Oh and boy?"

"Yes your Majesty?"

"Tell Gilbert Woolworth, my tailor, that I wish to put on something worthy of a King tonight. Something… with authority."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Henry leaned back against his thick, wooden chair, soaking in the warmth given off by the fireplace. It was not long before a little crooked smile appeared on his face. _It was time for the horse he had once controlled, to be tamed once again…_

X-X-X

"My lady, a messenger of the king has arrived. He wishes to speak to you urgently."

"Of all the hours you have spent in my service_ Mistress_ Seymour, perhaps you would have noticed that when I am preparing for the evening feast, I do not care to be disturbed."

"But, but…" Jane had never been good with words, and under the Queen's penetrating gaze, the words stuck like lumps of tar to her throat.

"Oh spit it out girl!"

"His Majesty has decided to change the plans for the feast tonight. You are to dine privately with the king tonight, Madam"

With a triumphant smile gracing her cat-like lips, Anne had the intention of replying to this _wench_, "Well, Lady Jane, I would like you to thank the messenger for delivering this message from the King. Also, I wish that only Nan will serve us tonight, so you and your fellow ladies are free to dine with the court. I understand that _some_ of the people from court may be disappointed not to receive the King's _special attentions _tonight, but I wish for you and the other ladies to assure them that it might be best that they get used to that fact."

With her face turned pale as that of a ghost, Jane walked out bleakly, clutching all her hopes on the velvet package from the king in her hands…

X-X-X

"His Majesty the King."

As the King entered the private chambers in which he and Anne were to dine, he remembered the words that his late father had told him once on a hunting trip: "My boy, Arthur may have the crown, but you have the charm and wit to marry any woman you please. Yet to marry a woman is like allowing both weeds and flowers to grow in your garden at the same time without any fire to tame them. Whomever you shall marry, my son, make sure you keep your sword at her neck at all times, for the most innocent of creatures have the most deadly bite." He remembered those words like he remembered he was the King; nothing could erase them from his existence.

And yet, as sure as he was that another one of his wife's tricks wasn't going to work on him tonight, he couldn't help but open his mouth like a goldfish when he saw the figure looking out to the starlit night.

"Your Majesty," Anne said coldly, without feeling, without thought. None could give fault to the Queen, as her greeting was perfectly acceptable, yet, despite himself, Henry could feel his heart sink a little bit at those icily muttered words of duty.

Looking up, the King peeked at what his 'wife' was wearing. She was dressed in a deep blue gown, with translucent sleeves embodied with ribbon, pearls and sapphires. The bodice, strangely enough, was embodied with wild horses chasing away a lion, the silver thread making splashes of water to put out the fire his father spoke of. The skirts of her dress were unlike any Henry had seen before, the same dark blue as her gown, but with a trail lined with diamonds, sapphires and pearls, creating ripples in the waters of Anne's dress. Around her neck hung a diamond necklace, and on her finger was a single ring, a raven, plain and simple silver, but it was beautiful nevertheless. Her hair was no less impressive, her long raven locks hanging loose, braided with pearls. On her head rested a tiara, a silver one, lined with sapphires and diamonds that glistened in the moonlight. She enjoyed watching her husband's eyes pop wide open at her sight before he regained his control, yet she in turn, remained rather untouched by his appearance, which was, must I say, no less impressive than Anne's.

Henry was furious at himself! How could he have let his wife catch him by surprise _again_?! He _didn't _feel anything for her, so why did he feel like the ghost of the past had entered his heart? No! It hadn't! It wasn't his fault that his wife surprised him- anyone who knew her well enough would have been surprised. It was all _her_. He had Jane, he didn't need his wife for anything other than public appearances and that was _it_! She _had_ the choice to give him a son- but what did she give him? A _daughter_ and one corpse! No, this woman had gone too far!

"Boy, knife!"

"Yes, your Majesty."

Henry began to violently slice through the stag on his plate, probably imagining it to be his wife herself. Anne seemed to ignore that fact, and carried on eating without a word. In fact, she had not uttered a single syllable since the cold greeting at the beginning of the meal.

"Leave us," the King muttered to the servants, and one by one they each left the room.

"Have you been ill?"

"Your Majesty, you know I-"

"Answer the question."

"No, your Majesty, my health has increased over the past months."

"What then, pray, might be the matter with you, Anne?"

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, give it up Anne! You know perfectly well what I mean- the colour changes, the dances, the new-found joy- did you really think the whole court would take me as a fool?!"

"I assure you; I meant no harm to your pride. May I speak plainly?"

"Yes," said the king, clearly agitated.

"Sometimes flowers bloom the most when neglected by the sun."

"Are you suggesting that I _neglect _you?"

"I'm not certain, but perhaps one of my ladies may provide you with the answer. _Jane Seymour_ for example, can tell you all about making the best of opportunities, but I'm not sure she has much knowledge of matters of the heart. What your Majesty needs is a lady who is wise, _Eleanor Luke_ perhaps, though I doubt you'd find her in this time of night, especially when it was her stupidity that drove her away-"

"Enough!"

_Now I'm in trouble… I was meant to confront him tonight, but this is turning into a bullfight more than a trade of views. But there is __**no **__way that he's having the last word today- even if he is the King of England, we are both made of clay._

"I apologize but I must leave your presence, I am afraid that the food has made me rather _sick_"

"Do not worry; I am soon to present to you a special type of desert Anne."

"Goodnight Your Majesty."

Henry nodded, and watched his moonlit victim exit the rooms through the thick, iron doors…

_That was chapter 2, hope you guys liked it, and I'm really excited for the next chapter, because something special is about to happen… _

_However, the next chapter will not be out soon, as I have exams and need to study *hides behind teddy bears*_

_It's going to be around 6 weeks wait (that's when my exams end) but I'll try to do bits of the story in my free time, so who knows- it might even be earlier than that… _

_Anyway, I would love it if you guys would __**review and favourite**__- it's the thing that keeps me going, especially the __**reviews**__. Remember to tell me what you hope to see in the next chapters, any tips, and compliments are always welcome in my reviews!_

_All the action is about to start in the next chapter, so keep tuned!_

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing,_

_LaBelleAnne_


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay chapter 3 guys, well, what can I say? When I joined FanFiction, I thought I was never going to experience such tremendous support from my readers-that is, if I'd ever managed to get any people to read my stories. 2 chapters down the line, and I had been proved wrong by the amazing community here on FanFiction._

_Before I start the story, I wish to say a massive thank you to all my readers, your support is what keeps me going. This goes out especially to all my __**reviewers, favouriters, and followers**__, and even more so to the __**reviewers**__- your advice has been wisely given, and your love and support have been given generously- so thank you, it means ever so much to me._

_Please remember to __**review, follow and favourite**__- it is really the thing that inspires me, and gives me the will to keep writing :)_

_And so, without further ado, here's chapter 3- enjoy!_

Anne sat in front of the gold framed mirror, her ice blue eyes focused on the figure she saw through the opaque wall. She examined every detail of her person, her pupils yearning for a noticeable change. Had they been looking at Anne's outward appearance they would have probably found quite a few objects of change, but no; Anne's sky blue eyes were raking through her very soul. Indeed, they had found something, but evaporated as soon as they saw it, as Anne's eyes of water were no match for the burning fire re-igniting itself once more in her heart.

Gone were the days when she was governed- she was no longer a queen of stone, and Henry was no longer the sculptor who governed her, who jutted iron into her heart until the blow made her will crumble.

Suddenly, her pupils spotted something in the edge of the mirror, and the sight made her eyes widen, which many would have thought was in shock. You see, at that moment, the King was once again being accompanied by a frail blonde figure, who walked obediently by his side as if a dog by her master. Had she seen that, Anne would not have been surprised. She had taken notice that the King had changed his walking routes, no longer walking as far as possible from sight underneath the translucent shade of the blossom trees, but instead parading with his harlot like a peacock, walking up and down the wide alleys of the green hedge maze which every turn and corner was visible from nowhere else but Anne's chamber window. She had grown used to these daily shows to feed her suffering, and decided to use them as if coal to fuel the fire in her heart. No, the sight that surprised the Queen was no other than the old, crooked figure of the Spanish Ambassador, standing uncomfortably on his tip toes underneath one of the apple trees, attempting to knock down a luscious fruit with the bottom of his heavy oak cane. You see, the Queen wasn't shocked at all. No, the feeling she had was as if her mind suddenly fell alight, the sunbeams making clear that which she must do. Anne might have been a King's wife, but she was as faithful and superstitious that she would have been a fine match with any fisherman. She knew that once God showed her the way, it was as disrespectful as it was dangerous not to take her shown path.

And so, with a hazy voice, she called out to Nan, "Nan, I wish for you to go to his Majesty, and inform him that I would find it very pleasing if he would eat noon's meal with me this fine summer day."

"Y-your Majesty, are you quite ill? Perhaps you would like me to fetch the physician, if you feel you are coming down with a fever."

Nan, a pudgy girl that often reminded Anne of a round bread roll freshly baked; for she was as round and warm in personality as she was in appearance, was many things, but uninformed wasn't one of them. She knew both from the court and from the Queen's behaviour- for she knew her like an open book- that neither her, nor the King were prepared to lose their pride, and send a message to the other one ever since the night when they dined together privately. So what was she doing inviting Henry to share a meal with her?

_She must want to bring up Jane Seymour again, otherwise she would not have asked. No wonder, the poor girl has to endure that man flaunting that harlot like a pride horse, not like the little rat she really is!_

"No Nan, I'm quite well, so don't you concern yourself with me! You concentrate on needlework- I hear your hummingbird still comes out a duck?" Anne said with a little giggle, for she prided on her own needle skills, being able to stitch the most confusing of designs which left the whole court pondering on how she had managed to stitch such peculiarities.

"Now hurry Nan! Or else it will be midday by the time you see my husband!"

And, with a confused expression on her chubby features, Nan left the room pondering on how the top of a hummingbird's beak should lie on silk.

X-X

"Your Majesty," whispered the raven haired beauty, adorned in emerald, standing beside the table in the east quarter dining room.

"Anne," he replied, with as much strain as there had been in her voice. He bent down to kiss her hand, expecting a cat-like smile on her lips when his head turned towards her, but he saw nothing of the sort. Her porcelain-like features were as smooth as when she was asleep, in a state of cold indifference.

"Please, sit," the King said, waving on her like a serving girl to the large oak table.

Reluctantly sitting down, Anne picked up her cutlery, and delicately started to cut up the quail's eggs in front of her. She looked up in a while, only to be met by a pair of equally icy eyes, staring at her with a gaze of dislike, distaste, yet something else. Could it be...?

_No, it couldn't._

Convincing herself she looked down once more, cutting up her eggs into even smaller pieces than before- in fact, she hadn't taken a single bite since the meal began, unlike her husband, who had greedily dug into the meat plate, not even bothering to ask if Anne wanted a slice of meat or two. Finally not being able to withstand the awkwardness, he dropped his cutlery on the silver plate in front of him, which hit it with a deafening, high-pitched ring. Anne did not flinch- her husband's moods were nothing out of the ordinary to her.

"For heaven's sake, Anne, eat something!"

"I'm afraid I'm not particularly hungry, Your Majesty, I-"

"If this is about the _misunderstanding_ a fortnight past, you do not need to worry, I have forgiven you," he stated. Aha! He _knew_ she would be the first to give in!

"It is not your forgiveness that I seek, Your Majesty, but rather your knowledge. I invited you to my luncheon so that you may be aware of my absence for these next two weeks."

She watched with contentment as the corners of Henry's lips dropped down from a smirk into a fine line, so straight that you could have sworn it was drawn with a ruler.

"Absence? And where pray, would you have to go that you have need to depart of the court for this long a while? I was beginning to think that your feet had began to remember their steps after a month of gallanting in the hall," he took time to see her slight scowl, the slight glint of teeth peering through her lips.

"I have an urgent matter I need to attend to, and I'm afraid it might take me a while."

"An urgent matter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm going horseback on a visit to Durham House."

"Where the Dowager Duchess resides?"

"Indeed."

"And what business would you have with the old crow?"

"It is not her I wish to speak to... but _the Lady Mary..._"

_So here it is- chapter 3! What was the look in Henry's eyes during the luncheon? What is Anne doing visiting Mary? Find out in the next chapter! **Updates and spoilers will be posted on my profile. **I don't want to leave you guys with this cheeky little cliffhanger, with nothing to do while the next chapter is being written right?_

**_Remember to review, follow, and favourite!_**

_Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!_

_LaBelleAnne_


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